Barcleona vs Real Madrid result: El Clasico makes history for wrong reasons as La Liga leaders play out rare draw

 

Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid: Highly-charged political landscape surrounding the Nou Camp failed to infuse a derby that never caught alight – unlike the scenes outside it – to cap the first goalless draw in 17 years

• It was not exactly a Clasico that will go down in history, but it did make a bit of unwanted history. This was the first goalless draw in the league between Barcelona and Real Madrid since 2002, and just the second in the last 30 years. Dead level in the game, dead level in the league, and dead enough on the pitch.

A match that had such tension around it – and outside it – had almost none on the pitch, bar a few flickers like Gareth Bale’s disallowed goal.

There was still a political protest in the 55th minute, when so many yellow beach balls were hurled onto the pitch in the name Catalan nationalism, to go with what had been a civilised demonstration before the game.

It was not one of those occasions, though, where the politics infused the actual match with any extra intensity.

That is probably for the best given the potential for strife in this area, and reports of clashes and disturbances outside. There was a distinctive smell of smoke around the stadium.